The hay fever season is on its way, infact for many people, the minute the sun came out, it started!

The media are predicting that this year’s allergy season will be the worst ever! They said the same for last year! However for the sufferer it doesn’t really matter what they say because whatever it is, it brings misery in the form of runny nose, itchy watery eyes, sneezing, itchy sore throat, coughing, congestion and many more symptoms!

So what causes these symptoms and why?

People who are susceptible to allergies, when they come into contact with the allergen, such as the pollens, cats, dogs etc, those allergens get absorbed into the blood. The white blood cells then produce billions of antibodies, IgE, that travel through the blood stream until they combine with Mast cells that contain histamine and other chemicals that are involved with the inflammatory process.

The IgE antibodies cause the membranes of the Mast cells to release their stores of histamine into the blood that in turn causes the allergic reactions. The Mast cells produce 2 other chemicals, leucotriences and prostaglandins both of which may cause airway constriction and asthma which are very common in allergic reactions.

However it is not just hayfever that relates to allergies, almost all chronic inflammatory conditions have allergic hypersensitivity as their root cause and an allergy also underlies auto-immune problems. Something goes wrong and healthy tissue gets targeted by immune cells so that the body is turning on itself producing an autoimmune response. So whether it is Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or lupus, they all have a hypersensitivity immune reaction leading to inflammation.

Inflammation is involved in almost all diseases, from heart disease, to diabetes, to obesity, skin problems, joint pain, lung disorders, liver and intestinal problems. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) one of the most important risk factors is an unhealthy diet, and the authors of The China Study concluded that 97% of all chronic illness is attributed to an unhealthy lifestyle!

A huge part of your immune system lies within your gut and that is why your intestinal health is so important. It doesn’t take alot to disrupt the gut immune system and the most common things that do are:

So allergies are one of the main causes of inflammation behind chronic disease and hayfever, and therefore correcting the cause of the inflammation is the way to go to help.

The first thing that I suggest, is to look at your food sensitivities, whether you are suffering from hayfever or any other inflammatory disease, and remove from your diet those foods that you are sensitive to, to stop them causing problems. You can then take supplements to help the gut permeability and absorption, improve the gut flora and aid digestion.

For hayfever symptoms most people will turn to conventional treatments to relieve their symptoms such as taking anti-histamines and steroids. They certainly do suppress the reactions but they all come with side effects that range from mild to potentially harmful, and are not good. The most common side effect with antihistamines is extreme tiredness which makes driving or using any machinery very dangerous, they can also make you dizzy and some even overstimulate. The good news is that there are natural
alternatives that can help:

• Quercetin – is a member of the bioflavonoid family and is found naturally in the skins of fruit especially grapes, apples, berries, onions and tea. It prevents mast cells from producing histamine and other chemicals from causing allergic reactions and it also has anti inflammatory, anti cancer and heart protecting qualities.
Although quercetin is found in many foods, for therapeutic doses it is necessary to take it in a supplement form. Quercetin is not very easily absorbed so taking it with a digestive enzyme such as bromelain will help its absorption. Bromelain also has an anti inflammatory effect that works synergistically with Quercetin.

• Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that helps to support the immune system.

• Homeopathy can be very helpful in relieving hayfever symptoms and you can either use the single dose remedies in a 30 potency for grass, tree or mixed pollens or specific drops that are bespoke to you, using the Miller Technique. With the Miller Technique I start with a ‘mother tincture’ which is diluted by 1 in 10 and then that one is diluted by 1 in 10 and so on. I use this method to desensitise to many airborne allergens and I test them to find out the exact potency that will help your symptoms.

Other homeopathic remedies for hayfever include:

Allium Cepa 6 which is good for bouts of sneezing, burning watery nasal discharge, sore nostrils, watery, itchy eyes and a tickling cough.

Sabadilla 6 which is good for bouts of sneezing, profuse watery nasal discharge, numbness and itching of the throat, and sinus pains.

Arundo 6 which is good for itchy eyes, itchy roof of mouth and back of the throat, itching deep in the ears and itchy nostrils.

Well, the hayfever season seems to be with us already. The warmer months of spring and summer mean that we can start enjoying more of our favourite outdoor activities. Whether it’s strolling through the woods, cycling along the riverbanks, taking the dog for a walk, playing cricket out in the fields, or simply relaxing in the park or garden, generally we all like to spend a bit more time outside at this time of year.

However for many of you it can be a miserable time, because your eyes start to itch your nose runs, you sneeze incessantly, and you can become very tired…..its hayfever! In fact, for some of you, going outside when the pollen count is high can be such a nightmare that you avoid doing it all together.

Well there is hope at hand. You don’t have to take anti histamines that make you even more tired and you can get out into the sunshine but it is best to look at the problem from an holistic point of view.

In my opinion an allergy to pollens comes second to food sensitivities and to an immune problem. As a teenager and into my early 20s I had terrible hayfever, but once I discovered that I also had a sensitivity to dairy foods and took them out of my diet, my hayfever disappeared!

So to help you with hayfever I will take an holistic look at your body and test you on the Vega machine to find out what food sensitivities you may have and advise you on a diet to try for 2 months. I will also test to find out which pollens and air borne allergens affect you and I can desensitise you to these. I use the ‘Miller’ technique which is a homeopathic way of finding the correct potency of the allergen to stop the sensitivity.

There are other supplements that can help:

• Quercetin, Vitamin C and bioflavenoids, are known to have anti histamine effects.
• Bromelain has anti inflammatory effects.
• N-acetyl-L-cysteine is know to have mucous dissolving properties.

Some homeopathic remedies can be helpful such as:

• Allum Cepa 6c if you have burning watery nasal discharge. Eyes itching and watery, and a tickling cough.
• Arundo 6c for itching eyes, roof of mouth and and back of throat. Itching deep in the ears and nostrils. Sneezing and loss of smell.
• Sabadilla if you have bouts of sneezing, profuse watery nasal discharge. Numbness and itching of the throat and you try to scratch it with your tongue. Sinus pain and the need to swallow due to a feeling of lumps in the throat.
• Euphrasia for sneezing, watery nose. Eyes red, burning tears, swollen lids and a general headache.
• Mixed pollens 30c can also help to treat the symptoms.

To address the underlying cause it is important also, to balance the immune system with some Plant Sterols, reduce the inflammation with high strength omega 3s and Serrapeptase, regulate gut immunity with a good probiotic and support immune activity with Vit D.

A heathy diet and lifestyle programme is also vital to encourage optimum health.

Pain can be the result of a food or airborne sensitivity, whether it is the physical pain from a joint, arthritis and migraines or the pain from asthma, eczema, sinusitis or hayfever or digestive problems such as irritable bowel.Sometimes the discomfort is minimal, but when the body’s reaction is such that it stops you living life to the full, it is time to identify the allergen.

During the Alternative Health Check the vega machine can identify your sensitivities and will also measure the energies in your body to find out which organs may be struggling.A diet is then recommended and some nutritional or homeopathic remedies may be suggested to balance the body energies and help obtain optimal health.

Pain.We all experience it at some time to one degree or another.Neck and back ache, muscle cramps, joint stiffness and migraines are some of the most common physical pains, but there is also the pain from irritable bowel, asthma, eczema, and hayfever, and even the emotional pain of a marriage breakdown, redundancy from a job, or the illness or loss of a loved one.Whatever the pain and whatever the source, most of the time there is no need for it.

Here at The Wyndham Centre we have therapists who specialise in pain relief and getting the body back into working order.

Pain is defined as ‘the unpleasant sensory and emotional experience an individual has when they perceive actual or potential tissue damage to their body.’

Medical diagnosis is based on the severity, duration and type (dull, burning, or stabbing) of the pain and also the cause such as neuropathic pain which is caused by damage to nerve fibres.It is a major symptom in many medical conditions interfering in a person’s quality of life and general functioning.

Pain is a feeling triggered in the nervous system. Pain can be helpful. Without pain, you might seriously hurt yourself without knowing it, or you might not realise you have a medical problem that needs treatment. Once you take care of the problem, pain usually goes away.

Pain is highly subjective to the person experiencing it.At The Wyndham Centre we understand that everyone is an individual and will respond differently not only to their pain but also to the treatment.We have a variety of different therapies that can help.

It is that time of the year again when we start sneezing, scratching the back of our throats with our tongue and itching in the nose and eyes! Not only is it uncomfortable and most disagreeable but it can also be exhausting.

Hayfever is an immune response, your body is fighting an allergen.Why is this happening?In my opinion it is as if the body is in overload mode……it cannot cope with another allergen and to help improve the situation we need to unload the body of as many allergens as possible.

For that reason I test not only to find out which pollens you are sensitive to but also to find out if you have any food sensitivities.My feeling is that food sensitivities come first and sensitivities to pollen, cat and dog come after.

Very often if you remove the foods you are sensitive to first, your body can cope better with the other allergens, and the hayfever is much better.

When testing I can also desensitise you to the pollens by making up homeopathic ‘pollen’ drops for you to take on a daily basis.These are made up by a method called the ‘Miller technique’ where a mother tincture is diluted by one in ten and then the next level is diluted by one in ten, up to a certain level.I test you on the different potencies to find out which one will desensitise you.

Another natural supplement worth trying is Sterol 117.It is a unique, high potency supplement with a complex blend of plant sterols and powerful antioxidant support, also essential fatty acids.The antioxidant complex is from pine bark, providing the highest molecular weight of proanthocynadins. These encourage the immune system to work better and block the histamine reaction so reducing the symptoms of allergies.

Helping your hayfever the natural way is so much better for the body that putting a load of chemical drugs into the system that can make you sleepy or feel under par.Do your self a favour…….look after your own body naturally.

So many people are coming to see me with a spring cold that they say they have had for several weeks and cannot get rid of. Well it may be that, infact, they have a sensitivity to moulds or tree pollens which are very prevalent at this time of the year and infact they are suffering a type of hayfever. This can be helped in so many ways….by desensitising to the airborne allergens by taking some natural or homeopathic remedies and also unloading the immune system, by finding out if you have any other sensitivities, such as foods, that may be putting a great deal of strain on the body. I use the vega machine to test for food and airborne sensitivities so have a look at our new website to read more about it. www.wyndhamhealth.com

For many of us, the end of spring is a beautiful time of year but not for everyone – unfortunately, this is the season that can be a very uncomfortable time for Hayfever sufferers.

Hayfever affects 2-3 million people in this country every year, and the statistics are growing; an allergy to mould spores from trees and various pollens are the usual causes.

The following remedies are appropriate for the symptoms listed, please note, as your symptoms change so should the remedy. The remedies are available in a 6c potency (strength) taken three times a day while the symptoms persist.

You can order the remedies stated above from us, just drop us a line.

Take EUPHRASIA if your symptoms are worse when indoors, you cough up phlegm, and your eyes are swollen with a burning thick discharge. Please note that Euphrasia tincture can be used as an eye bath (put one drop in an eyebath of water, never put the tincture directly into your eye)

Take ALLIUM if your symptoms are worse from being indoors, if the light hurts your eyes, it there’s a discharge from your eyes and a burning discharge from your nose. Warm food and drink aggravate your throat. Symptoms include violent sneezing which are often worse in the morning.

Take AMBROSIA if the key feature of your symptoms is intolerable itching of the eyelids (which smart and burn). There may also be congestion of the head and nose and sneezing with a watery discharge.

Take GEMSEMIUM if you’re listless, with dizziness or shaking, if you’re eyes are heavy and watering, and if you experience non-stop sneezing.

Take ARUNDO if you’re sneezing, if you have a tickle in your nose, and if the roof of your mouth and ears are itchy.

Take SABADILLA if there is a hypersensitivity of smell, desires warm drinks, violent sneezing. Symptoms are often better for the open air.

Take SANGUINARIA if you have dry, congested nasal membranes, a burning sensation in the nose and throat and a sensitivity to smell especially flowers.

Take RANUNCULUS if you have smarting eyes and burning lips, a sensation of tingling and crawling inside the nose and or throat, you may have a stuffed up nose which can be worse in the evenings.

Take WYETHIA if the predominant symptom of your hayfever is itching, and the symptoms tend to be worse on the right side.

Hayfever is a deep-seated condition, which requires constitutional treatment from a qualified homeopath as the remedies above will just manage the symptoms. Orthodox medical treatment can manage the condition with powerful drugs that have a number of harmful side effects but constitutional homeopathic treatment over two or three seasons may cure the condition completely.